who we are
softerbread is a cooperative initiative operated by the birthright project, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit (ein 99-3166732). when this page says "we," it means the birthright project operating softerbread.
what we collect
things you tell us. when you submit an application, support inquiry, partner form, or feedback, we receive what you type — typically your name, email, location, and your answers. these forms are handled by Formspree, which delivers them to us by email.
payments. when you buy a plan, pack, or build, or make a donation, payment is processed by Stripe. we never see or store your full card number — Stripe handles it. we do receive confirmation details (amount, name, email, and any note you add).
basic, privacy-friendly analytics. we use Cloudflare Web Analytics to understand aggregate traffic. it does not use cookies, does not fingerprint you, and does not build a profile of you.
how we use it
to respond to you, deliver what you bought, process and acknowledge donations, review applications, and improve softerbread. that's it. we do not sell your information, and we do not send marketing you didn't ask for.
who we share it with
only the service providers that make softerbread run — Stripe (payments), Formspree (form delivery), and Cloudflare (hosting and analytics) — each handling only what their job requires. we share information otherwise only if the law requires it.
how long we keep applicant data
if you apply to SofterStart or a paid business and aren't accepted or don't proceed, we keep your application on file for up to 24 months in case a later cohort or pathway is a better fit, then delete it. accepted cofounders' residency records are kept for the length of the fellowship plus the retention period needed for the cooperative's own financial and grant reporting. you can ask us to delete your application data sooner at any time.
where your data is processed
softerbread's cofounders and applicants are based across several countries; the service providers above (Stripe, Formspree, Cloudflare) process data on infrastructure located in the United States and other countries where they operate. by using softerbread you consent to your information being processed outside your home country under those providers' own safeguards.
age
softerbread is intended for people 18 and older, consistent with the age requirement in our terms. we don't knowingly collect information from anyone younger, outside the limited guardian-consent exception described there.
your choices
email us any time to see what we hold about you, correct it, or ask us to delete it. we'll honor reasonable requests promptly.
this page is plain-language guidance, not a substitute for legal advice — data-protection rules vary by country, and this isn't a claim of compliance with any specific one (e.g. GDPR, CCPA).
last updated: july 2026. questions about any of this? use the contact form.